Mia Cefalo Channels Nostalgic Rage on Pop-Punk Heartbreaker “Lose Me”

In a music world full of formulas and facades, Mia Cefalo is bringing back real emotion, served raw, loud, and undeniably catchy. The Philly-based, Miami-born artist is turning post-breakup chaos into anthems you can scream in your car with the windows down. Her latest single, “Lose Me,” is a gritty, vulnerable punch to the gut wrapped in power chords and pop-punk perfection.

Written about a hyper-specific yet deeply relatable moment, being young, emotionally wrecked, and sitting in the back of someone’s car you don’t even speak to anymore, “Lose Me” captures the confusing wave of nostalgia, anger, and sadness that hits when memories resurface uninvited. It’s the sonic equivalent of remembering everything you wish you’d said after the fact.

“I wanted to capture that weird emotional loop you fall into when a memory hits you hard,” Mia shares. “You’re suddenly back there, even if you know it wasn’t good for you.”

Though she originally dipped her toes into music with a few “cringey country songs” (her words), Mia found her true voice in pop-punk, a genre that fits her emotional honesty and fierce energy like a perfectly ripped band tee. Influenced by the angst of Avril Lavigne and the fiery honesty of Paramore, Mia’s music gives listeners permission to feel everything, especially the messy stuff.

Backed by producers Jeff McKinnon and Sam Carlen, and songwriting collaborator Luke Bernardi, Mia crafts tracks that don’t just sound good, they feel like your favorite journal entry screamed over a distortion pedal.

With “Lose Me,” she isn’t just singing about heartbreak. She’s giving a voice to those silent moments when you realize a person or situation never deserved your loyalty in the first place. And that’s something anyone can relate to.

“Lose Me” hits on such a specific but universal moment. Was there a particular memory or trigger that brought this one rushing back to you?

Thank you. Yes! I think that when you turn a certain age (I’ll be 28 this year), you start to realize how fast the ten years leading up to that point went. You start to feel nostalgic about how your life was ten years ago.  When sitting down to write this, I was trying to create a relatable world. What were we doing when we were 16 and 17 years old? 

How did we feel about those crazy moments as teenagers, and how does that make us feel now (looking back )? I wanted to capture a particular feeling.

You’ve talked about starting in country music and pivoting to pop-punk—what made you realize this was your true sound?

What made me realize that Pop-Punk might be a better sound for me was when my writing partner came to me with a song he wrote one day at work, and there happened to be a guitar nearby. 

I remember it sounded so different than what I was used to. When I took it to the studio, I was able to visualize it, kind of, which had never happened to me before. And when that happened, I decided to switch genres for good.

Your lyrics feel like pages ripped from a diary. How do you balance personal storytelling with creating something that feels relatable to others?

That means the world to me. When I tell stories about something that happened to me, I always try to word it so that the listener can picture it. That’s the first thing. The second thing is musical - I try to create a vibe that feels nostalgic in some way. Whether that’s a guitar riff or a melody, something that feels familiar. If I can successfully put that together, it’s usually a good sign of relatability.

How has living in Philadelphia, after growing up in Miami, shaped your musical style and songwriting process?

Moving to Philadelphia changed my life. It took a couple of years to adjust, though, because, at first, I felt like it wasn’t the right fit. I started feeling at home here about two years after I moved. Having been here for a while now, I have officially experienced more life here than I did in Miami. 

Back in FL, absolutely nothing happened, really, and that was the problem. When I started to experience loss and heartbreak, here. That’s when my writing got better. 

Getting laid off during COVID, leaving a two-year job that wasn’t serving me but made me who I am today, friendship breakups, etc. When I met my husband, who also writes for me sometimes, he had been writing his whole life and taught me how to take an idea and make it more relatable. He has been with me through thick and thin, so we've experienced tough times together and created some really good songs from those times.

If you could go back and play “Lose Me” for the person it’s about, would you? Why or why not?

I don’t think I would. It's intended for a couple of people specifically, and I hope they find it one day. I hope they come across it at some point and discover it on their own.